Tissue expanders are used to assist in stretching skin of a subject to provide a tissue pocket or capsule having an appropriate size to accommodate a permanent implant, such as a breast implant. In typical usage, the tissue expander is implanted into a subject to help prepare the subject to receive a permanent breast implant. The tissue expander may be expanded by introducing additional material therein, e.g., saline, until the desired size of the pocket or capsule is achieved, at which point the tissue expander may be removed. A permanent breast implant may then be implanted into the subject.
Certain tissue expanders may be used as an adjustable breast implant, such as the Becker Expander/Mammary Prostheses manufactured by Medtronic of Irvine, Tex. This adjustable implant utilizes a fill tube through which saline may be introduced or removed from the implant to change the implant's size. Thus, the adjustable implant may be used to change the size of the capsule. Once the desired size of the capsule is achieved, the fill tube may be removed from the implant, thereby rendering the implant non-adjustable. The implant may remain in the capsule.